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olarman #3
Publisher: Scout Comics
Writer(s): Joseph Illidge
Artist: N. Steven Harris
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Cover: N. Steven Harris & Andrew Dalhouse
From the police to a secret government division and then a killer alien cyborg, Ben Tucker aka Solarman is at the top of a serious wanted list. And now that the alien is here and wants the cosmic energy out of Ben we are going out with a bang and plenty of collateral damage to go along with it. This is that finale type of issue that goes big on action while simultaneously going deep on some character development of the unexpectant hero.
Right from the jump I have to applaud Illidge for the attempt to make sure that any first time reader is comfortable enough with the issue even with this being the third one. Sure it’s not as comprehensive as getting all of the information from the first two issues but he hits you with the important parts and builds on Ben’s character along the way. Of course this allows us to concentrate on the action and the even enjoy a moment with Jen who is ticked off that she’s been thrown into this situation in the first place. Illidge is excellent at building the fight towards it’s end but throws a curve I wasn’t expecting with this resulting more in a pyrrhic victory for Solarman. Giving the impression that as much as Illidge wanted you to enjoy the big action he also wanted to make sure the main character actually gained something because of it.
N. Steven Harris was the reason Solarman was on my radar and with good reason. His style is his own and he always comes through when the action gets heavy. Especially when things get a bit dark for Solarman during the fight and Harris nails the ferocity and brutality coming our hero. With the colors from Andrew Dalhouse helping to enhance the artwork, those pages in particular are some of the best!
My only complaints about the issue would be the time it took to come out and the actual design of the alien, Gormagga Krool. However, that may not even be her final form so my personal issues just might be a moot point in the end. There was also a bit of confusion when Solarman was concerned about his identity being hidden but yet the guy doesn’t wear any type of mask. It just seemed like an easy fix if the actual character design included something to make identifying him harder. Jamming electronics won’t always work when your face is seen by the masses.
Solarman is one flawed character that I’d enjoy seeing grow and come into his own because of what Illidge has started in this arc. So if you have yet to jump into this adventure you should get started and see what this creative team has done with their version of this legendary hero.
Infinite Speech
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